The conflict in the Republic of Mali

Abstract

The state of Mali, which used to be an oasis of peace in an unstable region, turned almost overnight into a conflict site. Weapons and refugees from Libya fueled tensions in the north of the country. This was followed by the worst possible scenarios: the rebellion of the Tuareg with separatist aspirations; a military coup; occupation by terrorist organizations; and a foreign military intervention. The paper first analyzes the history and the current positions of the Tuareg, their goals and capabilities, as well as the impact of external factors. Using analysis and comparison, it seeks to reach conclusions about basic characteristics and mutual relations of the armed movements and terrorist organizations operating in the Republic of Mali and the north of Africa. The final section of the paper contains a chronological overview of the most important events that have occurred since the start of the Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali.

Keywords

• al qaeda of the islamic maghreb
• ansar al-din
• the arabs
• military intervention
• military coup
• mali
• the tuareg